Conventionally, Type 1 diabetes has been treated with daily insulin injections. However, this inevitably results in insulin levels that do not match the normal and rapid changes in blood glucose which occur in a patient throughout the day. On the one hand, insufficient insulin and high glucose levels lead to immediate symptoms and contribute to long-term complications. On the other hand, too much insulin may result in too little blood sugar leading to loss of consciousness and convulsions. As an alternative to injections, insulin pump therapy is intended to mimic the normal physiology of the healthy pancreas. Unlike multiple daily insulin injections, an insulin pump is able to provide a constant background infusion of insulin that can be adjusted according to individual need, compensating for daily activity and exercise routines. The pump may also be programmed to deliver bolus doses of insulin to address the big glucose swings in the blood that would otherwise result from eating and drinking. By mimicking the natural physiology of the pancreas, insulin pump therapy aims to maintain a constantly normal blood glucose level; avoiding the highs that are associated with meals or the lows that come from too much insulin.
In a system in which the pump is wirelessly controlled by a handset device, and in which the handset device is required to receive status information from the pump and transmit it to a remove server, it has been recognised that there is a problem that the wireless transmission from the handset device to the server may interfere with control commands being sent to the pump, potentially causing an incorrect dosage of insulin to be administered by the pump. Embodiments of the present invention seek to address this problem.